Automatic poultry feeder



June 22, 1954 T. c. LITTLEFIELD AUTOMATIC POULTRY FEEDER 5 Sheets-Sheet l Filed may 29, l195o Thur/upd C. Liff/efe/d l N V EN TOR.

BY WWE/imm and June 22, 1954 T. c. LITTLEFIELD 2,681,639

AUTOMATIC POULTRY FEEDER Filed May 29, 1950 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 June `22, 1954 T. C. LlTTLEFlELD AUTOMATIC POULTRY FEEDER Filed May 29, 1950 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Thur/and c. iff/field IN V EN TOR.

Patented June 22, 1954 UNITED sTATEs PATENT OFFICE 6 Claims.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in poultry feeders and the primary object of the present invention is to provide a poultry feeder involving a conveyor means and a vertically movable receptacle for receiving feed from the conveyor and which will actuate the conveyor means to supply feed to the receptacle whenever the feed in the receptacle is diminished a predetermined amount.

Another very important object of the present invention is to provide a poultry feeder including a gang of receptacles, a conveyor operated by an electric motor having a switch that will be actuated after a predetermined amount of feed has entered the end receptacle of the gang to open the circuit to the motor.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a poultry feeder that is automatically actuated to supply feed from a hopper into one or more feed holding receptacles.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a feeder including a conveyor actuated agitating means that will prevent feed from clogging up in the hopper of the feeder.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a poultry feeder including a novel and improved receptacle structure that is so constructed as to permit poultry to feed therefrom in a safe manner without the poultry contacting any sharp or harmful edges and/or projections.

A still further aim of the present invention is to provide a poultry feeder of tested ability that is simple and practical in construction, strong and reliable in use, small and compact in structure, inexpensive to manufacture, and which embodies a group of individually removable receptacles that may be cleaned, repaired and replaced in a convenient manner.

Other objects and advantages reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings forming part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure l is a front elevational view of the present poultry feeder;

Figure 2 is an enlarged longitudinal vertical sectional view taken substantially on the plane of section line 2-2 of Figure 6;

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary top plan View of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is an enlarged transverse vertical sectional view taken substantially on the plane of section line 4-4 of Figure l and showing a hopper including an agitator applied to one of the receptacles;

Figure 5 is an enlarged vertical sectional view taken substantially on the plane of section line 5-5 of Figure 1;

Figure 6 is a plan view of Figure 1;

Figure 7 is a perspective view showing one of the receptacles and the balancing means located relatively close to the motor switch (dotted lines) and Figure 8 is an enlarged detail sectional view showing the balancing means and the switch operator raised above the motor switch.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, wherein for the purpose of illustration, there is disclosed a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the numeral I0 represents an elongated substantially channel shaped trough Whose web portion I2 is provided with a plurality of longitudinally spaced dispensing openings I4. The openings I4 are upwardly tapered and receive the reduced upper end portions I6 of vertically disposed dispensing tubes or conduits IB. The end portions I 5 are secured to the edges defining the openings I4 by fasteners or the like 20.

The apices or minor ends of conical pans 22 v underlie the tubesl I8 and anges 24 rise from and surround the Imajor ends of the pans 22. The upper edges of the flanges 24 are rolled to provide beads or smoothly curved sleeves 2B that will in no way harmfully effect poultry feeding from the pans.

Hollow conical shields 28 overle the pans 22 and receive the minor ends of the pans. The lower edges of the shields 23 are rolled inwardly upon themselves to provide beads or internal sleeves 3G that are spaced above the periphery of the pans 22 sufficiently to permit feed on the pans and against the flanges Ztl to be exposed to poultry. The upper minor ends of the shields are integrally formed with or attached to sleeve members 32 that slidably embrace the tubes I3. A plurality of circumferentially spaced hanger straps 34 are terminally attached to the shields 28 and the flanges 26 to join and support the pans relative to the shields.

A pair of longitudinally extending hanger arms 38 are secured to and rise from each of the sleeve members 32 and are pivotally and adj'ustably secured to the side walls of the trough and consttute the sole means for attaching the receptacles (32, 28, 22, 2i, 34) to the trough.

The trough Iii is supported in a substantially horizontal position by any suitable number of legs El@ and a hopper 42 is mounted on the trough at one end of the trough. The receptacle 44 remote from the hopper 42 is secured to the trough I0 slightly different than the other receptacles and the manner in which the receptacle 44 is secured to the trough is illustrated best in Figure 7 and comprises a horizontal pivot 46 that extends through a transverse opening 48 in the web portion.

The pivot 46 extends through the apex of a bell-crank lever t and one end of a connecting link 52. yThe lever 5o and the link 52 are Vlocated on opposite sides of the trough. The free end of the link 52 is pivoted to one of the hanger arms 38 of the receptacle fll and one leg portion 54 of the bell-crank lever Eil is pivoted to the other hanger arm 38 of the receptacle 44. The other leg portion 55 of the lever-50de provided with a longitudinally extending ,Oiset 58 that slidably supports a weight t@ having-a set screw 62 that is adjustable to bear against the offset 58.

Theweight iii!Y will urge the leg portion 54 and the receptacle lll to their raised position until a predetermined amount of feed has Ventered the receptacle, 'whereupon the weight of the receptacle and the feed therein will overcome the action of the weight and the receptacle will move to its lowered position.

The lower flight or an endless chain belt or conveyor Gli is trained through the trough itl and the hopper i2 and about a sprocket 65 in the hopper 42 and another sprocket 58 at the end of the trough rernote from the hopper. The conveyor' 64, is also trained over any suitable number of upper sprockets it that are mounted oriV ceiling brackets l2.

The supporting shaft 'lf-l for the sprocket 63 is operatively connected to the drive shaft ci anv electric rnotor 'l5 and the circuit to the motor includes a conventional switch 'le having a rock button 3%. YThe switch 'iii is mounted on ,the trough and is adapted to be actuated by a nexibleangle member or switch operator 82 secured to the inner face of the oiiset 53. l

Inpractical use ci the present invention, as the motor it is started, the conveyor S4 is driven to l carry feed from the hopper through the trough lil. As feed is moved through the trough lll the feed will pass into the receptacles, the last receptacle being lled will be the receptacle 44. When the receptacle la is iilled it willmove downwardly to raise the leg portion 5S and the operator 82 will ride against the switch button 8B. and urge the switch to its circuit open position to stop the motor "16.

`When predetermined amount of feed is removed from the receptacle 4d, the weight 5l) will raise the receptacle i4 and as the leg portion 55,

is lowered, the operator S2 rides against the button 8) to actuate the switch and close the circuit to the motor whereupon the conveyor will again travel.

,Figure 4 shows a hopper lili! associated with one end of the trough Il! in the form of a funnel whose reduced end is secured to the end of the trough remote from the power means by brackets m2. A horizontal shaft it@ is mounted in thehopper it for rotation and supports a plurality ofradially disposed agitating fingers l.

A laterally projecting linger it is mounted on. the shaft lofi and is pivoted to a link l le) that extends through aslot in the hopperwall. The link lill is pivoted to a crank arm H2 that is mounted on a shaft l ld and the latter is operatively connected to and rotated by the chain e4.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. Ina poultry feeding device including a conand raising of said receptacle relative to the trough.

-2; In a poultry feeding device including a conveyor, a trough receiving the conveyor and having a dispensing opening, and an electrically operatedpower means for operating the conveyor and including a switch, dispensing tube err--y tending vertically,downward from the opening, a receptacle mounted on said tube for vertical movement, a vertically swingingrarin attached to saidreceptacle, a weight mounted on said arm and Vurging the receptacle raised relative to the tube until a predetermined amount of leed has entered the receptacle, and a switch operator on said arm for selectively forcing the switch to its open and closed positions upon `lowering and raising of said receptacle relative to the trough. Y i. 3. In a poultry feeding device including a conveyor, a trough .receiving the conveyor and having a dispensing opening, and an electrically operated power for operating the conveyor and including a switch, a vertical dispensing tube extending downwardly from the opening, a receptacle having a sleeve Yportion slidable ver-Y tically on said trough, a horizontal pivot on said trough, means connecting said pivot to saidV re- 4. In a poultry feeding device including a con-V veyor, a trough receiving the conveyor and having a dispensing opening, and an electrically operated power means lor operatinsr the conveyor and including a switch, a vertical dispensing tube extendingldevi/inveroll;7 from the opening, a receptacle having a sleeve portion vertically sliclablyV mounted on said trough for raising and lowering movement relative to trough, a horizontal pivot on said trough, means connecting said pivot to said receptacle and including a vertically swingable bell crank lever having iirst and second leg portions, a nieans acting on the second leg portion of said lever and urging the rst leg portion of said lever and said receptacle to a raised position, and a finger prejectinglaterally from said second leg portion forV z tctuatingvthe switch to its circuit open position' during lowering of the receptacle relativeto said trough andrior actuating the switch to its circuit closed position duringraising of the receptacle relative to the trough.

5. The combination of claim i wherein said finger is flexible to permit the finger to ride com pletely past the switch.

6. In a poultry feeder including an elongated trough having a plurality of longitudinally spaced dispensing openings therein, a conveyor received in the trough, and an electrically operated power means for moving the conveyor and including a switch, a plurality of vertically disposed dispensing tubes extending downwardly from the openings, a plurality of receptacles mounted on and hanging from said trough and having vertical sleeve portions slidable vertically on the tubes, a hopper at one end oi said trough through which the conveyor is movable to conduct feed from the hopper to the trough, one of said receptacles being located remotely from said hopper, means operatively connected to said one of said receptacles and urging said one of said receptacles to a raised position relative to said trough until a predetermined amount of feed is within said one of said receptacles,

and a switch operator responsive to a raising and lowering of said receptacle for selective actuating said switch to its closed and open positions.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 559,216 Richards Apr. 28, 1896 1,304,553 Gadd May 27, 1919 1,325,035 Neumann Dec. 16, 1919 1,392,311 Egeland Oct. 4, 1921 2,081,947 McCornack June 1, 1937 2,277,420 Stanfield Mar. 24, 1942 2,311,747 Gooch, Jr. Feb. 23, 1943 2,442,907 Siler June 8, 1948 2,515,698 Cosby July 18, 1950 2,526,191 Barker Oct. 17, 1950 2,563,321 Dugan Aug. 7, 1951 

